The increase in the number of digital cameras in use over the last few years has been significant. Hence, the increase in the number of digital photographs in need of printing is also significant. Many means for developing or printing such digital photographs exist. Camera users sometimes purchase printers and photographic paper for printing their own digital photographs. Many problems with the quality and the use of such technology are known, not to mention the time and effort required to print the digital images created by a digital camera user. Digital camera users also use memory sticks in such cameras to store the digital photographs, remove the memory sticks, and bring the memory sticks into a digital photograph developing store for either self or store processing using store equipment, such as a digital photograph image printer. For self-processing of the digital photos on the memory sticks, one must know or learn how to use the self-processing equipment. For store processing, a camera user may need to drop off the memory stick or wait for a store photo processing clerk to print out the photo images.
One alternative which has been in use is for a digital camera user to connect their digital camera to a personal computer (laptop or desktop) and “upload” the digital pictures to the hard drive of the computer. One or more digital processing websites exist which allows a digital camera user to then “upload” such digital photographs over the internet to the digital processing website. For each digital photograph, a user can enter their identification and contact information, select the size of each print, and enter payment method and payment details. The service provided by the website will then perform the digital photograph printing and mail the prints to the user with the their identification and contact information for the user. The user must then wait to receive their photographs in the mail, which can take days or longer.
Alternatively, in one prior system, a digital camera user can upload digital photographs over the internet to the digital photograph processing website. The digital photograph processing website then allows for the user to select a store in the area where the user is located (which may or may not be available to select), which will cause the digital photograph processing (print) order to be electronically sent to the selected store over a network connection, such as the internet. When the digital photograph processing (print) order is sent to the selected store, all of the digital photographs are sent as a part of the digital photograph processing (print) order. If a transmission error or problem occurs, the entire order including all of the digital photograph images must be re-sent, creating significant network traffic. In addition, if many orders are sent and received at any one store, significant computer memory must exist to store such orders until printing occurs. Once received, the selected store places the order in queue for printing in the order it was received, along with all of the other orders it receives in such manner, as well as orders placed directly at the store (“analog” orders). On the website, the user is told to pick up the order after a set amount of time has passed, which set amount of time does not necessarily represent the true real time availability of the digital photograph processing services (and time it will take) or the selected store. The processed order may in fact be available sooner, or from time to time may not be available even after the set amount of time indicated has passed.
Despite the advances in the field, the industry is in need of more efficient systems and methods for processing and managing customer orders for digital documents, such as digital photographs, through a network, such as the internet. Thus, the present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.